BP Should Pay Royalties on Oil Being Spilled into Gulf of Mexico

Press Release

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today called on BP to pay royalties on all oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, in addition to paying for all the economic and environmental damage caused by the spill.

"BP needs to be 100 percent accountable for this spill," Pingree said. "That means they need to pay for the damage they caused and full royalties on every drop of oil that comes out of that well."

Pingree also said it's important to get an accurate account of how much oil is spilled from the damaged well.

"BP continues to claim that only 5,000 barrels of oil a day are leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, but most experts think it's many times more than that," Pingree said. "BP may want to downplay the size of their spill but we need to know the truth so we can hold them accountable."

Current law would require BP to only pay royalties on oil that is recovered, processed and sold, but Pingree urged the company to agree to pay royalties on all the oil.

"BP should do the right thing--come clean on the amount of oil being spilled and pay royalties on all of it," Pingree said. "And if they don't do it voluntarily, Congress and the Administration should force them to pay."

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